To skip the page number on the first page in Word, open the header or footer and select Different First Page. The cover page stops showing a number, while page 2 keeps showing 2 because the cover still counts as page 1. You do not need a section break or unlinked headers for this. If you want page 2 to show 1 instead, follow our guide to starting page numbers on page 2.
Hide the number on the first page (Windows)
- If the document has no page numbers yet, go to Insert > Page Number and choose a header or footer position and style.
- Double-click the header or footer that contains the page number.
- On the Header & Footer tab, select Different First Page. Word gives the first page its own header and footer, labeled First Page Header and First Page Footer.
- If the first page still shows a number, select that number in the first-page header or footer and press Delete. Leave the number in the regular header or footer so later pages stay numbered.
- Choose Close Header and Footer or press Esc, then check pages 1 and 2.
Page 1 now has no visible number, and page 2 shows 2. Microsoft describes the same steps in its guide to removing the page number from the first page.
Use a real page-number field from Insert > Page Number. Typing a digit into the header by hand repeats that same digit on every page instead of counting.
Word for Mac
Word for Mac uses the same approach. Double-click the header or footer, then select Different First Page on the Header & Footer tab. Delete any number left in the first-page header or footer, and leave the regular one in place.
Word for the web
In Word for the web, go to Insert > Header & Footer and select the Different First Page option to hide the cover-page number. The browser version has fewer header and footer controls, so open the file in desktop Word if you need section-specific numbering.
Check the first three pages
- Page 1: no visible page number in the First Page Header or Footer.
- Page 2: shows 2.
- Page 3: shows 3. If pages 2 and 3 show the same value, replace the typed number with an automatic page-number field.
Open File > Print to review these pages the way they will print.
If a number disappears from every page
Make sure you removed the number only from the first-page header or footer. If you deleted it from the regular header or footer, insert a page number there again with Insert > Page Number, and confirm Different First Page is still selected.
If a later chapter loses its number
Different First Page can apply to the first page of any section, not only the first page of the document. If a chapter starts a new section and its first page shows no number, open that section’s header or footer. Check its Different First Page and Link to Previous settings before changing numbering elsewhere.
When you need more than Different First Page
Different First Page is the simplest method for a single title page followed by numbered pages. A section break is only needed when several front pages should stay unnumbered, or a later part of the document needs its own numbering style. For that setup, use our later-page numbering guide. Microsoft’s Insert page numbers page covers the basics of adding numbers.
Matt has been writing about Microsoft Windows and other Microsoft products since the days of Windows XP. He spends much of his time writing for sites like WindowBrain.com